The Warriors selected power forward Stephane Lasme in the second round with the #46 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Lasme is 6′8″, 215 pounds and he can run like the wind. He also played against decent competition at U Mass so his game should translate well to the NBA. He played in 118 games at U Mass and he averaged 8.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.7 steals and 3.4 blocked shots per game. He hit 59.5% from the floor but only 62.2% from the free throw line in college. Lasme was a rebounder and shotblocker in college and if he can do that in the NBA it will fill two major needs for the Warriors.

The Warriors drafted Marco Belinelli in the 1st round with the 18th pick. Belinelli is a shooting guard that will fit right in with the Warriors run and gun style. He is a good shooter and he’s fundamentally sound like most European players that come to the NBA. Belinelli is 6′5″, 192 pounds and he has a really quick release on his shot which makes him really hard to defend. He played in 251 games in Italy and he averaged 8.9 points, 1.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He shot the ball really well as he hit 53.1% of his shots from the floor, 37.9% from three point range and 76.2% from the free throw line. Belinelli will likely run with the second team as a rookie for the Warriors.

The Golden State Warriors traded Jason Richardson and the rights to 2nd round draft pick Jermareo Davidson to the Bobcats for the rights to the #8 pick in the NBA Draft which was forward Brandan Wright. Brandan Wright will fit right in with the Warriors up and down the court running style. Wright only played one season at North Carolina and he was really good there. The 6′9″, 205 pound Wright played in 37 games for the Tar Heels and he averaged 14.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.0 steal and 1.8 blocked shots per game. Wright is a great mid range shooter and he’s outstanding on the fast break. He hit 64.6% from the floor and only 56.7% from the free throw line in his freshman season. He will need to improve his free throw shooting to be successful in the run and gun offense of the Warriors.Â

The Golden State Warriors have let it be known that they would be willing to part with Monta Ellis for a high pick in the first round in tonight’s draft. They almost got a bite from the Atlanta Hawks for the 11th pick but they backed out. The Warriors own the #18, #36 and #46 picks in the draft tonight so they should be active even if they don’t trade a veteran player. The Warriors could use a rebounding power forward type but he must be able to run the floor in Nelly’s offense. Look for the Warriors to draft three good athletes tonight that can all run the floor. The Warriors will also have a couple hard decisions to make on free agents Matt Barnes and Mickael Pietrus. A lot of teams like Pietrus and that could make him possibly too expensive to bring back. But the Warriors should be able to re-sign Barnes for a reasonable price if they want to.